Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

A spokesman for the National Pest Control Association, contended in 1988 that many people who claim they are “chemically sensitive” are actually allergic to the pests that the chemical (poison) is supposed to control. Others, he says, have “delusory parasitosis, a distinct fear of insects. It’s a neurotic disorder of people that can never be controlled.”  What do you want to bet that this person never got a medical degree?

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a real disease that affects a large segment of our society.  Many more people may not know they have MCS until they are exposed to pesticides or other chemicals.   Sharyn Davidson worked for a veterinarian clinic and was exposed to pesticides used on our dogs and cats.  This exposure triggered MCS in her. She can describe in her own words her battle with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) often refer to themselves as canaries, or biological sentinels, who signal impending danger from toxic exposures. Recent epidemiological research revealed that as many as 16% of the population considers themselves sensitive to some chemicals. MCS has become like a half-ton canary that no one can any longer ignore. Many  people with MCS are intolerant of pesticides, solvents, and many other synthetic products that never existed until humans created them.

Some would have you believe that there is nothing wrong with these synthetic products, but that there is something emotionally wrong with those who report reacting to these products. Can thousands and thousands of people who report intolerance to toxic chemicals be suffering from mass psychogenic illness? The opponents of MCS would like you to believe that. If designer poisons interfere with the life processes and kill life forms lower on the food chain, why is it a stretch of logic to understand that these same chemicals interfere with the life engendering metabolism of humans and make them ill?

Most people with MCS do not have antibody mediated allergies. Most toxic chemicals are not allergens. They are chemicals that interfere with the natural metabolic processes. Immune suppressive toxins have been found in the fats of dead whales in Puget Sound and in the fat biopsies of humans with MCS, cancers and other toxic induced disorders. Unlike the highly impacted wildlife, those of us with chemical sensitivity can verbalize the emotional and physiological distress triggered by the many synthetic toxins. These supposedly “safe” synthetic chemicals created by man have reached the top of the food chain and are now creating a health crisis. Although many people appear to tolerate many of these synthetic products, there are many of us who are made ill by them.

Although we don’t completely understand the mechanism of MCS, we are getting closer. We would like those who do not experience chemical sensitivity but who understand that the fragile web of our common environment has now been diminished to advocate for research to shed greater understanding of this issue. There can be no resolution of any problem without first acknowledging and understanding the problem. Please become informed about the impact of toxins on the quality of your life. The most important thing we can do is to find understanding through research and explain the mechanism of the disorder so that the problems can be resolved

My chemical sensitivity this past 19 years has been like a bad dream in which the Emperors have all their clothes on but they cannot see, hear or think clearly. In this nightmare, a small canary is yelling wake up Bellingham, dioxins are dangerous!. Wake up Washington State, pesticides are poisons . Wake up America, your canaries are ill! Wake up Earth, toxic chemicals impair life! Are those of us with MCS the only ones who can see, hear, and understand the canary?

Sharyn’s case clearly demonstrates that MCS is real.